WATCH: HMS Queen Elizabeth Gunnery Exercise

HMS Queen Elizabeth recently returned to UK waters last month following completion of Merlin and Chinook flying trials and this revised strategy has eliminated the need for separate trials, ensuring the time available on deck was used to maximum effect and avoiding a second voyage out to sea later in the year.

The initiative will ultimately expedite the release of the carrier into service, say Qinetiq.

The trials, conducted by QinetiQ and the Air Warfare Centre under the Air Test & Evaluation Centre (ATEC) partnership, brought the two aircraft together on deck for the first time as part of a cost-saving initiative negotiated between QinetiQ and the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The Merlin trial was originally contracted in April 2016, with Chinook added to the existing agreement at the end of 2017 under a new contract amendment.

John Anderson, Managing Director Air & Space, QinetiQ, said:

“We are proud to contribute to the Royal Navy’s carrier programme, which forms such a vital part of the UK’s defence capability. These deck trials have been among the biggest ever conducted, and mark an important step towards enabling the carrier’s rotary wing capability, ahead of the F-35 trials planned later in 2018.

Combining the trials delivers on our strategy to help customers make best use of their available funding when conducting mission-critical test and evaluation work.”

Prior to the trials, QinetiQ at MOD Boscombe Down designed and installed flight instrumentation for two Merlin Mk 2 and two Chinook Mk 5 helicopters and delivered pre-trial simulator training to their test pilots. The aircraft then deployed to HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Atlantic and, over a period of four weeks, conducted landings at different weights and in varying conditions, including in the dark using night vision. The ATEC team undertook data analysis and reporting to establish each aircraft’s safe operating limits.

The work continues a three-year programme that includes assuring flight operations for the new Tide Class Tankers and Off Shore Patrol Vessels, and will ultimately provide rotary wing aircraft clearances for the life of the new aircraft carriers.

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Great video. Loved the mini gun clips. I guess now Ocean has been decommissioned QE will be getting Oceans X3 phalanxes as well as her 20mm+ 30mm guns. Got to love the MOD cost cutting. They launch a £3.5 billion carrier with no point defence SAM no CIWS or even light guns until another ship had been taken out of service.

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1 year ago

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Frank

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But it is not operational yet, why would they put any of that stuff on until she is? W.r.t. SAM, that I do not understand either.

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1 year ago

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Marc

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Surely its a stupid decision not to have any defence capability what so ever on a £3billion pound asset.

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1 year ago

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Jack

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“Sigh” it does and will have self defence capability. Get a grip on reality.

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1 year ago

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Frank

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Come on… Just goto the Wikipedia page. It really is that easy. It does have defence capability.

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1 year ago

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John H.

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Type 45’s can’t even defend themselves from the rear. Every modern RN ship is underarmed. Every recent govt has placed saving money above saving lives.

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1 year ago

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Rob

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Marc, who has the capability to attack a 60,000 tonne warship?? 3 countries in the world, one of whom is a key ally, the other 2 would never dare! besides dear boy, the main defence is yet to deployed, aircraft; alongside 45’s and Subs in attendance. The QE and PrOW, will rust and be sold for scrap before any danger comes to them. Never forget, supposed RN weakness is deliberate and government led. In times of conflict or crisis the RN is easily the 2nd best Blue Water Navy on the globe. Nowhere near the 2nd largest, but do you… Read more »

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Change the record please. This has been done to death now. Can we just move on and admire this awesome piece of kit.

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1 year ago

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Lewis

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Not really when every single other aircraft carrier in the world has point defense missiles yet apparently the government in its infinite wisdom decided not to arm it with anyway.

But hey, If it’s ever sunk ‘lessons learned’ right? Not like we learned the lesson that ships are vulnerable beyond belief to missiles in the Falklands or anything.

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1 year ago

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Gunbuster

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We also learnt the fitting Seadart to CVS and Sea Cat to Hermes was a waste of time and space. Hence Dart was removed and valuable extra space for aircraft equipment Accom and spares was freed up. We lost more ships to bombs than missiles.

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1 year ago

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Steve

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and what dropped them bombs? jets of course which the point defence missiles could counter.

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1 year ago

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Gunbuster

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You where talking about missiles not jets hence my comment Anyway RN missiles accounted for very few jets …it was mostly CAP Harriers and sidewinder that took down the aircraft. Dart accounted for a few including a fat dumb slow Herc which was taken instead of a fast mover. Sea Wolf did OK with 3 or 4 kills but the T22s spent a lot of the time goalkeeping HVUs and not going up against attacking aircraft. Sea Cat I don’t think hit anything but might have forced a plane to crash doing avoidance manoeuvres. Sea Slug…killed some sheep in a… Read more »

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1 year ago

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DaveyB

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The other point you need to remember is that the Falklands War introduced the first proper missile versus missile war. Unfortunately the majority of the ships the Navy deployed, T42s included, were not designed to counter a sea skimming missile. The reason for this is that computer technology that was required for signal processing was still in its infancy. The signal processing that is required to detect a threat amongst the seas background clutter is immense – Remember this was the ZX Spectrum era, so computer by today’s standards were archaic. The Type 22s armed with the new Seawolf system… Read more »

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1 year ago

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Gunbuster

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Davey B…sorry mate but you do not know what you are talking about. The computers in use on most of the more modern warships down south where FM1600 series.Ok they where not modern by today’s standards, You inputted the ops program on Mylar paper tape but they where fast and processed the info in real time even if they did use feritte core stores. Signal processing was fine. R967 was a doppler radar and depending on the settings in the speed filters picked up anything and everything with a doppler on it. We regularly had tracks indications on 20 and… Read more »

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1 year ago

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Ian

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Nice to see her working up!

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1 year ago

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Rob

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I bet this will give Mr.Putin some sleepless nights………

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1 year ago

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Phil

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As long as we’re only attacked by the side of barn we should go ok then 🙂 🙂

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1 year ago

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Bruce Sellers

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Now that did make me laugh! 🙂

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1 year ago

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Daniele Mandelli

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Gunbuster, who has experience of these matters, has already explained several times the fitting of SAM to the carrier is not necessary and comes with its own issues.

This has been commented on dozens of times already by others, including myself, with no experience of these matters whatsoever.

Time to move on. No Sea Ceptor for the QEC. Just CIWS and escorts.

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1 year ago

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Paul.P

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Yes. This is why Type 31 is so important, to make sure Type 45 and Type 26 are always available to escort the carriers.

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1 year ago

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Farouk

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The PLAN will soon overtake the USN in numbers I think.

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1 year ago

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DaveyB

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Very odd deployment of the PLANs from the Satellite photo. It looks more like a parade than an active protection screen. Perhaps this was deliberate as the satellite that took the picture would have been known about.

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1 year ago

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Bill Edmead

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Even the RN will have sufficient escorts for its most valuable asset. Two T45’s one T23 and a T boat or Astute. If the QE is reduced to firing off its gimpys or whatever she is already dead in the water! Having said that the US carriers and even the CDG carry a swathe of self defence systems ‘just in case’. We can never be accused of over arming our vessels that’s for sure!

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Everyone please the best anti-missile, air, surface ship or submarine threat they will face will be provided by her F35’s and Merlins. Every penny and every second should be devoted to getting as many of them operational on her as soon as poss.

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1 year ago

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Gunbuster

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No 50 cal though on the video. 50s are now being added as standard on most RN vessels so now you can not only chop them up with a mini gun doing 3000 rounds a min of 7.62 but also blow holes in them with 1/2 inch HEIT.

Remember Gunnery is Funnery A day without gunnery is a day wasted…

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1 year ago

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Jonathan

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Not sure how many aircraft we can fit in afterwards but Haho I’m sure someone mentioned we don’t have any anyway.

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1 year ago

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Julian

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Don’t forget the nuclear reactors (always best to have more than one), cats and traps, and it should carry at least two Nimrod as well (preferably have those nuclear powered too).

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1 year ago

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Jonathan

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Not only nuclear powered but armed as well.

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1 year ago

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Phil

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If we ripped up the flight deck we could easily get 8 x 15″ guns in four turrets, plus a dozen turrets of 5″ guns, then we could use the hangar deck for a hydroponics bay and grow our food on board and use bio-diesel from plants to be truly self-sustaining?

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1 year ago

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dadsarmy

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16″ surely? We could share the cost of the shells with the Yanks for their Iowa class?

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Now there’s an idea to sell to the Nuc Carrier operators like the USN…hydroponics and bio fuel….they could then get alongside in those places that won’t allow nucs alongside. 🙂

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1 year ago

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Jonathan

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Don’t forget solar power and wind mills, just think how many of each you can fit on a queen elizabeth.

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1 year ago

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Peder

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Why is it necessary for that ominous, boringly repetitious, electronic music track? Is it meant to impress? It’s a hunk of metal. It’s not alive. It will be scrapped one day … or flogged!

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1 year ago

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Peder

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Why is it necessary for that ominous, boringly repetitious, electronic music track? Is it meant to impress? Why is the little sailor putting his clothes on in slow motion? It’s a hunk of metal. It’s not alive. It will be scrapped one day … or flogged! And they’re only wee guns too! An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh has bigger guns on its patrol boats!

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1 year ago

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Evan P

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I do hope you are enjoying yourself. I saw the comment and thought that it was ridiculous, and then I saw the name of the person who wrote it. It all makes sense now.

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1 year ago

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Frank62

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Just a CIWS & small arms mgs is recklessly weak armament. Yes in an ideal world you’d always have plenty of warship escorts(RN is short of these though), same with F-35s & Merlins, BUT in a real war it often works out differently. Attrition can soon deplete strike aircraft & escorts. That is why carriers of this size, cost & purpose have more than the RN currently plan to install, eventually. USN Carriers have medium range ESSM + RAM+ CIWS, the CIWS being a last ditch defence. Accountants & politicians will argue until they’re blue in the face that we… Read more »

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1 year ago

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Richard Davies

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I don’t know any where near as much about modern misses and ships. I love the forces and every of them. I’m perfectly willing to accept how good the t45 and aster is. Why though does every other carrier in the world carry local or medium defence systems? I’m not taking sides I just don’t get that. It’s a separate question but the Arliegh Burke seems to carry so muck more hardware. Are we sure we aren’t skimping on our carrier group because we are skint?

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1 year ago

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Peter French

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“Is that all u got Lizzie, frighten me some more.” Its an embarrassment the Vidio showing “Gunnery exercise” , features on a 50.000 ton warship a couple of machine guns , What absolute baloney, as other posts state RN warships have always been behind the game in armament, and it seems still is Where are the Brains in the MOD , under their posterior I would imagine

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1 year ago

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Rob

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what frighten’s me Peter is you can’t spell Video!?!? You are utterly wrong with regard to RN Gunnery, ‘have always been behind the game in armament” WHAT?????? the RN throughout history has been known for gunnery, and not just that, the rate of fire. US Navy at half the rate of RN across history! Aircraft Carriers don’t have long range weaponry, never have, that is left to the Frigates and Destroyers. Ask any former foe of the “MOD” what they felt by RN Gunnery, and they would say destroyed. Please dear sir, spend a day on Lizzie, you try and… Read more »